It stopped raining long enough to fire up the main barbecue grill last night, for the first time this year. I didn’t clean it out at the end of last season so the grill was a bit revolting when I first lifted the lid on it. However, once I got the coals going it took about five minutes with the wire grill brush to burn off the mouldy bits and pieces. The whole thing went really well; I managed to start the charcoal without causing too much smoke (my neighbour suddenly decided at 4.30 p.m. that now was the perfect moment to hang out his washing; and I was trying not to leave it stinking of charcoal) and once I got the coals laid out on the grill (I use a chimney starter) and got the lid in place you would hardly know I was grilling at all.
So, the inaugural meal of the season was spatchcocked poussin with baked sweet potatoes, and a piquant salad on the side. The poussins were coated with Steven Raichlen’s basic barbecue rub (most of what I know about grilling comes from his How To Grill and The Barbecue Bible, both of which I recommend) and for once I grilled with the lid on the Weber kettle (why I don’t do this more, I don’t know, given it’s how the Weber is supposed to be used, but go figure). Fifty minutes later, done to several turns, and delicious. The salad, a mixture of chopped cucumber, chopped tomato, finely diced onion, spring onions, mint and parsley, dressed with lime juice and olive oil, salt and pepper, went very well with this.
And the annual hunt for lumpwood charcoal can begin. B&Q have some, I notice, so I can stock up. Most places only sell charcoal briquettes; these are a pig to light and leave a really unpleasant residue in the bottom of the kettle. I have no idea what the binding agent is, and I’m not sure I want to. On the plus side, briquettes do last longer but I remain not convinced. And if truth be known, I enjoy the uncertainty of using charcoal.
But for my bucket barbecue I generally use the little easy-light charcoal bags as they’re simpler to deal with, though they initially make a dreadful mess with bits of paper fluttering everywhere if one isn’t careful (although maybe I will change my mind about that this year). I’ve been surprised at how well the bucket barbie does. I bought one at the end of the season a couple of years ago, watching for several weeks as the price was marked down and down, finally getting myself a real bargain. It is a well-made galvanised affair and it is ideal for chicken drumsticks, sausages and so on, though it would be less successful for most of my more elaborate efforts. Mostly, I bought it because I wanted to do minced-meat kebabs, which are easily lost on the bigger grill and it’s good for that.
This year, and I said this last year too, I want to do more smoking. I have a small smoker I was gifted several years ago but I’ve not got around to using it fully as yet. Given there’s a nice four-day weekend coming up it might be time to try that turkey pastrami I keep thinking about.
Fragrant Zodiack 